Christian Eriksen: Manchester United midfielder ‘unhappy’ with lack of game time under Erik ten Hag

Christian Eriksen has admitted he is “unhappy” with his lack of game time at Manchester United.

The Danish midfielder has fallen down the pecking order and has had to make do with fleeting appearances from the bench, a situation he says he "respects" and that he is working to change.

He last started in January’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham alongside Kobbie Mainoo, but Erik ten Hag has since preferred Casemiro or Scott McTominay in his deeper midfield roles.

Eriksen has played just 135 minutes of football since the start of the year and came off the bench in United’s epic 4-3 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Speaking to Danish outlet Tipsbladet, Eriksen said: “I’ve said in the past that I’m not happy with not playing, but it’s not something I lose sleep over. The team performs and then I have to respect the role you have on the side.

“For me, it’s been working hard and focusing on being fresh for every game, and I am. It’s easier now to accept my role than it was before.”

The 32-year-old also said that he has aired his concerns to Ten Hag. Eriksen arrived in the summer of 2022 as a free agent from Brentford and was instrumental as United finished third in last season’s Premier League, and lifted the League Cup.

During that campaign, Eriksen made 44 appearances across all competitions, scoring twice and registering 10 assists.

In total, he has only made 21 appearances this term, with just one goal and two assists to his name, although he did miss more than a month with a knee injury at the end of last year.

“I have had a conversation with Erik [ten Hag] that of course I am unhappy with the situation and that I want to play as much as possible, but that I am available and must be available for the team, which I am and always will be,” Eriksen added.

“He said it was the team he had chosen and Kobbie [Mainoo] is doing well and the rest of the centre is doing well too, so there is competition for places, which is to be expected when you play for a top club. There is a lot of competition in the team.

“Of course you can be worried in the long run, because I want to play as much as possible. Of course, you don’t want to sit on the bench all the time. I don’t have that approach, but it’s not something that worries me right now.

“It’s often the case that when you change teams and win, you don’t change the winning team, and I respect that.”

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